The most anticipated moment of the entire vacation was undoubtedly the desert excursion. Although I’m not a fan of extreme sensations and generally prefer the feeling of safety over adrenaline, curiosity is always close to me when it comes to new experiences. This is how I ended up doing many cool things, but I admit that I wouldn’t repeat all of them. I can say that the safari is one of the experiences that gave me some emotions, especially since I had done a lot of research beforehand and read many stories in which people said they would never do it again. Now, remembering that I have done other and worse things, I thought that at least this time I was on land. Plus, I was super excited to see how things would go. So, here I am, telling you about my experience in Dubai safari.
I purchased a trip from Abu Zafari based on a recommendation from some friends who had gone with them a few years ago. We paid €55 per person, which we gave to the guide on the day of the trip. We chose the group option, so we went with three other people we didn’t know, but there was also a private tour option if you’re just two or three people and want to be alone. The guide picked us up from the hotel on the scheduled day, at around 3:30 pm, and along the way, he explained how things would unfold and what the itinerary would be. We drove for about an hour to get to the desert, with a 10-minute stop in a parking lot so the driver could deflate the tires a bit. In that parking lot, there were many stalls and 1-2 shops where you could buy food or a keffiyeh – the traditional headscarf. Of course, I took advantage of the moment and bought one for myself, and the seller at the shop was so excited about how it looked on me that he started decorating me with bracelets, crowns, and other royal stuff 😄. But I asked him to keep it simple and just stick to the headscarf.
1. Dune Bashing
After leaving that parking lot, we arrived in the desert and the fun began. Initially, everything seemed quite calm and I even relaxed, started filming and taking pictures, thinking that our guide was a calm guy who wanted to keep us safe. The first 3-4 minutes of tranquility were actually just the warm-up. Because then, the driver didn’t hesitate to show us all his extreme skills, and I was thinking where to get another pair of hands, because one wasn’t enough to hold onto everything around me. Slowly but surely, I began to enjoy it and didn’t want it to end. The sand dune adventure lasted about 30 minutes, plus a 15-minute stop for taking pictures and admiring the scenery.
2. Sandboarding & Sunset View
After finishing our dune walk, our next stop was sandboarding. I had experience with snowboarding, so the activity wasn’t completely new to me, but sandboarding was a different beast altogether. It was more difficult to balance due to the sand slipping under the board, making it challenging to maintain stability. Despite this, I managed not to fall once. I was also the only brave one in the group who dared to give it a try.
3. Camel Ride
Our desert excursion continued with a brief stop at a sandboarding site, which we soon left for the next adventure on our itinerary – a camel ride. While we were there, I managed to capture a picture of the majestic creatures, and I was mesmerized by their beauty. However, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them as they appeared quite sad to me. Though I understand that many people come to the desert specifically to experience camel riding, I would have preferred to see fewer people waiting in line to ride them. Nevertheless, I appreciated their splendor and enjoyed observing them a lot.
4. Dessert Camp
After watching the sunset, we made our way to a special campsite for tourists. There, we enjoyed a variety of activities such as smoking shisha,attoos, and watching a unique show. The food consisted of snacks and grilled vegetables. Although I enjoyed the snacks, I only tried the grilled vegetables as the other dishes were too spicy for my taste. Additionally, we were able to participate in a Falcon experience, where we had the opportunity to take pictures with one of the country’s national symbols. The show itself was quite impressive, featuring performances such as belly dancing, a tanoura show – where the dancers wore traditional Islamic skirt-like costumes – and a fire dance. getting henna t
Enjoy your trips!🥰
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